It had been a long, miserable couple of days for Zareth.
It started with a drink in a dusty bar and a simple question about God. Then came the Vein Tumor that tore the building apart. Then Sister Blood appeared and thrust a child into his arms; a child that ate monsters and called him "Papa."
He tried to flee to Nippledale but found himself captured, tortured, and pumped full of experimental sludge until his own biology revolted. He fought a mad scientist in the sky, grew a dragon from his back, and finally plunged into the abyssal waters of the Meikai.
For a man who just wanted to retire and smoke cheap cigarettes, fate had a cruel sense of humour.
…
The Present: Blackthorn Estate
The sun peeked over the horizon and spread long, golden rays across the ruined grounds of the Blackthorn Estate. Smoke still curled from the blackened skeleton of the generator building, but the inferno had died down to smoldering embers.
Silence replaced the screams.
After Carl Blackthorn fled in his carriage and Vanderznak took to the sky, the remaining henchmen lost their will to fight. They saw their masters abandon them, so they dropped their weapons. Some surrendered to Chavez's group of villagers, while others fled into the woods to take their chances with the wild.
The estate was a wreck. Walls were crumbled, glass shattered, and the laboratory was a smoking crater.
Yet, life persisted.
In the central courtyard, a group of women sat on the grass. They were wrapped in blankets and wept softly. They had been pulled from the draining pods just in time. They reported that a beast-man, bleeding from a chest wound but surprisingly gentle, had broken the glass to drag them to safety before the fumes overcame them.
Nearby, the children from the Preservation Wing huddled together. They ate bread and drank water provided by the rescuers.
Wenamor stood beside Laviss and surveyed the scene. His face was gray with exhaustion, but his eyes were clear.
"We survived. We walked through hell and lived to see the sunrise."
"Daddy!"
"Papa!"
Two young girls broke from the group of children and sprinted across the cobblestones. Jerrick dropped his flamethrower tank with a heavy CLANG and fell to his knees. He opened his arms and caught his daughters.
"I'm here," Jerrick sobbed and buried his face in their hair. "I'm here. I'm never letting you go again."
Laviss watched them with a sad smile. She adjusted the rifle on her shoulder.
"They are safe. But what about the others? What about Zareth? And the boy?"
Wenamor shook his head. "I don't know. The last I saw, Zareth was flying toward the laboratory where Vanderznak had taken the boy. The lab is in ruins now."
"Could they have made it out before the explosion?"
"I don't know. But…"
Their conversation was interrupted.
Chavez Stain walked over. He tipped his cowboy hat back and wiped soot from his forehead.
"We rounded up the last of the stragglers. We have about thirty prisoners tied up. The rest got away. We also found a stash of gold in the main house. I reckon we can use it to help these folks rebuild or relocate."
Wenamor said, "Good work. We owe you, Chavez."
"Don't mention it."
FZZZZT!
Suddenly, a high-pitched whine filled the air.
"What now?" Laviss raised her rifle.
"Look up!"
A beam of blinding white light descended from the heavens. It crashed into the center of the courtyard with the force of a meteor.
BOOM!
Dust billowed outward. The villagers scrambled back and raised their pitchforks and guns.
"Is it Vanderznak?" Jerrick yelled. He shielded his daughters with his body. "Did he come back?"
The light faded. A short figure stepped out of the dust, followed by nine others clad in black and white uniforms.
Provost Kirill brushed dirt from his coat. His mask kept half his face hidden. Behind him stood Hindar, Meldov, and the rest of Church Number Nine.
Wenamor lowered his machete. He recognized the uniforms from the encounter in his village.
"It's the Priests! Stand down! They are allies!"
The tension broke. A wave of relief washed over the survivors.
Wenamor hurried forward. "You came. You actually came back."
"We keep our promises," Kirill said coolly.
"You're late!"
Laviss marched up to the elite unit. She pointed a shaking finger at Kirill's chest.
"The battle was over hours ago! While you were gallivanting around, we were fighting monsters with farm tools! Do you see this mess? If you had arrived earlier, a child wouldn't have been taken! These women wouldn't have suffered!"
Meldov bristled and reached for his axe. "Hey, watch your tone, hag. Do you know what we just…"
Kirill raised a hand to silence him. He looked at the angry woman, but his mind drifted. He remembered why they were late.
…
Flashback: Nesbeth
The town square of Nesbeth was quiet. The barrier was down, the Beast Tumor was ash, and the Gravity Star had vanished.
Kirill sat on a crate in the temporary shelter. His coat was torn, and blood soaked his sleeve. Provost Joseph knelt beside him and hovered glowing green hands over a deep gash in Kirill's shoulder.
"You are reckless, Provost Kirill," Joseph chided gently. "You fought a Dreadnought-class threat practically alone. It is a miracle you are still in one piece."
"I had help." Kirill winced as the skin knit together.
"You saved us," Joseph said. "This city... these people... they are alive because of Church Number Nine."
Across the shelter, Yohan Creed sat with Fennalin. He looked at his hands, still shaking from the adrenaline.
Kirill stood up and tested his shoulder. He walked over to the young Priest.
"You," Kirill said.
Yohan jumped to his feet. "Sir!"
"That final strike. The Tsurugi Index. It was clean. You have good instincts."
Yohan scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Thank you, sir. I just... I saw an opening and took it."
"He was awesome!" Fennalin slapped Yohan on the back. "Did you see those spectral swords? He might be promoted to Provost at this rate!"
Yohan's smile faltered. He looked down. "Promoted... to replace Provost Lamar. I killed him. I cut down my own leader."
"He was already gone," Joseph said softly as he joined them. "Do not dwell on the darkness, Yohan. Look at the survivors. That is your victory."
Joseph turned to Kirill. "We established a connection with the Convent. They are sending a cleanup crew and a medical squad to collect samples. We can rest now."
"Good," Kirill said. He adjusted his collar. "Because we are leaving."
"Leaving?" Joseph blinked. "Now? You are exhausted. And where are you going?"
"Blackthorn Estate," Kirill replied.
"Blackthorn? That is in the neighbouring region. It is miles away. Do you need to borrow fresh horses?"
"No time for horses. I have a waypoint."
He closed his eyes and focused on the single scripture bird he had left perched on the tavern weathervane in the small town. It was faint, but the connection was there.
Kirill commanded, "Church Number Nine. Form up. We are teleporting."
"Teleporting?" Meldov groaned. "Boss, that method makes me nauseous."
"Suck it up. We have a heretic to catch."
Kirill hated filing reports. He hated the politics of the aftermath. He preferred the hunt.
…
Present: Blackthorn Estate
"Are you even listening to me?" Laviss yelled.
Kirill blinked. The memory faded. He looked at the old woman who was currently berating the most dangerous execution squad in the land.
"Laviss, please!" Wenamor grabbed her arm and dragged her back. "Forgive her, my Lords. She is distraught. We are all grateful."
Kirill ignored the apology. He scanned the courtyard. He saw the destruction. He saw the pregnant women being attended to. He saw the pile of dead mutants. He noticed the children's mutation.
"What happened here?"
Kirill's voice was quiet but carried a weight that silenced the crowd.
Wenamor stepped forward. "The Blackthorns... they were working with a crazy scientist named Vanderznak. They were kidnapping people. Experimenting on them."
"And Zareth, the old Priest?" Kirill asked.
"He was here," Wenamor said. "He fought Vanderznak. But the scientist injected him with something. Zareth changed. He became... something else. They fought in the sky and crashed into the lab. I don't know where they are now."
Kirill's expression didn't change, but his grey eyes darkened.
"So he fell victim to the experiments. And now he is missing."
He turned to Hindar.
"Contact the Sensory Nun Unit. Give them a detailed report of this facility. Tell them to send a containment team immediately. These mutants and victims need to be processed."
"Understood." Hindar pulled out her Ascending Stone.
"Sorvak, Keldran, Dravos," Kirill barked. "Sweep the estate. Secure any remaining hostiles. Help the wounded."
"Yes, sir!"
Kirill turned and walked toward the edge of the courtyard.
"Where are you going, Boss?" Meldov asked.
"Just do your job, Meldov," Kirill said without looking back.
FWOOSH.
He vanished in a blur of speed.
Meldov grunted and scratched his chin. "Always running off."
He looked around for something to do. His eyes landed on a young boy sitting near the fountain. One of the boy's arms was covered in fur and ended in a wolf's claw.
"Well now," Meldov grinned. "Aren't you a fascinating little freak?"
…
Deep in the woods behind the estate, the air smelled of salt and pine.
POP.
Kirill materialized in a clearing. He looked at the ground. Trees were snapped in half. Deep furrows were carved into the earth. It was clear a titanic struggle had taken place here.
He followed the trail of destruction. It led him to the edge of a sheer cliff.
Below, the vast expanse of the Ocean churned against the rocks. The waves crashed with a rhythmic, lonely sound.
Kirill stood on the precipice. The wind whipped his coat around his legs. He looked out at the endless horizon where the water met the sky.
"Zareth…"
Kirill remembered the stubborn old Priest who had refused to die. He remembered the man who had burned a church to save a child.
"Did you truly die?"
The question lingered on the salty breeze, unanswered. The ocean kept its secrets.